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Rebeccah Sanders is the CEO of the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM). The NRCM operates within the unique ecological ethic and culture of a state where environmental issues are an integral part of how people live their lives. Rebeccah and her team endeavor to engage stakeholders and build coalitions to achieve important environmental legislation. Rebeccah is understandably proud of the first-in-the-nation legislation that the NRCM has been involved in, such as the bottle bill and the offshore wind bill. In this interview, Rebeccah emphasizes the need to listen to and include myriad voices in decision-making processes. Rebeccah also discusses the importance of mentorship and collective leadership in creating durable solutions and empowering future generations. Join our conversation with Rebeccah Sanders today on Radio Maine.
Fifty years of data on deposit return system (DRS) laws (or “bottle bills”) in the U.S. demonstrate that these programs effectively boost collection and recycling rates, create opportunities and jobs in local economies, prevent roadside litter and plastic pollution, and catalyze reuse. What is the importance of reuse in DRS, and how can DRS policies incorporate the latest thinking on reuse solutions, funding, and incentives? Learn more about this and recent policy wins across the country in our latest installation of Indisposable Live: How US Bottle Bills are Accelerating Reuse. Special guest panelists include Susan Collins, President of the Container Recycling Institute; Sarah Nichols, Sustainable Maine Director at the Natural Resources Council of Maine; and Peter Spendelow, Natural Resource Specialist at Oregon Dept of Environmental Quality. They will showcase the distinct ways that California, Oregon, and Maine have begun to incorporate reuse/refill into their bottle bills. Resources: Bottlebill.orgMaine's bottle bill (LD1909)Chaptered text of the updated law in MaineCA SB 1013 pageThe New Reuse Economy: How reuse systems and services will revolutionize how we consume1974 EPA report: Second Report to Congress - Resource Recovery and Source Reduction
Kevin Ellis welcomes in-studio Jon Groveman and Karina Dailey, Policy and Water Program Director and Restoration Ecologist for the Vermont Natural Resources Council. They talk about flooding, the Winooski river, and more.
We revisited episode 62 this week, 2 years later. High Performance Architect Emily Mottram joins me in this episode to talk about the renovation she is undertaking at her home in Maine. She calls her renovation a pretty good renovation which is in keeping with the principles of the pretty good house (https://www.prettygoodhouse.org) which is building better than required by code until it doesn't make financial sense. Like all of us, she encountered scope creep and has some advice based on her experience. About our guest: Emily is the founder and principal of Mottram Architecture, a boutique practice specializing in new homes and renovations that are beautiful, functional, comfortable, healthy, and durable. Emily received her Bachelor of Architecture degree from Penn State University and is a Registered Architect in Maine, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania; she has also previously been registered in New York and Texas. Emily is a member of the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB), the Maine Indoor Air Quality Council (MIAQC), and the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM), the state's leading organization working to protect and preserve the environment.An educator at heart, Emily also teaches building science and sustainable design at a local community college and has served as a consultant for projects in a secondary school trade program. She hosts the weekly podcast E3: Energy and Efficiency with Emily and co-hosts the live-streamed BS* + Beer Show, a weekly building science show for professionals and “civilians” alike. *********************************************************Laura Parrish is my guest this week, talking about her historic Massachusetts properties. She bought her 1855 Italianate mansion in New Bedford about 10 years ago, and is now working on her third property, the oldest house in Bourne, MA. She loves to share her houses with others through AirBnB rentals. Laura shared what she has learned about working on historic houses and the hospitality world.Instagram: @_thewhalehouse_@theminnowfalmouth@oldcrowellfarmWebsites:The Whale House- https://www.thewhalehousenb.comThe Minnow on AirBNB- https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/679531034866064071?source_impression_id=p3_1689127039_bF0lO4%2FyWyOBYj3xThanks so much for being with us this week. Please see the episode enhancement for this and other episodes at talkinghomerenovations.comDo you have feedback you would like to share? Would you like to be a guest on the podcast? Email me at thehousemaven@talkinghomerenovations.comIf you enjoyed this episode, please share it with your friendsDon't forget to subscribe to the show and get automatic updates every Wednesday morning with the latest episode of Talking Home Renovations with the House Maven. Click here to get the episode enhancements sent directly to your inbox every week.Reviews and ratings help my show gain traction and credibility. Please leave a review here-...
Maine is the first state to require utility companies to include assessment of environmental, equity, and environmental justice impacts in grid planning. That was just one provision of a climate law that passed Maine's state legislature with bipartisan support. In this episode, Rob speaks to State Senator Stacy Brenner and Jack Shapiro of Natural Resources Council of Maine to learn about the law, why it's an example for other states, and how it garnered broad support. Connect the Dots is brought to you by the Center for Progressive Reform. Learn more at www.progressivereform.org Be sure to subscribe wherever you listen and consider leaving us a review! It will help us to reach more listeners like you who want to connect the dots on today's most pressing issues. This podcast is supported in part by: The College of Law at Loyola University New Orleans Arlie W. Schardt Fund for Climate Justice Special thanks to: Our producer, Maggie Dewane, and our editor, Courtney Garcia, as well as musical artist Lobo Loco, who makes their work available to us through a Creative Commons license.
Bonus episode! On January 24, 2023, the Natural Resources Council of Maine joined with Senator Mark Lawrence, labor leaders, and conservation partners to announce a bill to boost floating offshore wind in the Gulf of Maine.
WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives
Producer/Host: Amy Browne This week: 100 Maine “Clean Water Champions” will be honored at an event celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act on September 29th on the banks of the Androscoggin River in Lewiston— including one person whose voice you’ll recognize from WERU! Anya Fetcher, Federal Policy Advocate for the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM), one of the event organizers, joins us with all the details. About the host: Amy Browne started out at WERU as a volunteer news & public affairs producer in 2000, co-hosting/co-producing RadioActive with Meredith DeFrancesco. She joined the team of Voices producers a few years later, and has been WERU's News & Public Affairs Manager since January, 2006. In addition to RadioActive, Voices, Maine Currents and Maine: The Way Life Could Be, Amy also produced and hosted the WERU News Report for several years. She has produced segments for national programs including Free Speech Radio News, This Way Out, Making Contact, Workers Independent News, Pacifica PeaceWatch, and Live Wire News, and has contributed to Democracy Now and the WBAI News Report. She is the recipient of the 2014 Excellence in Environmental Journalism Award from the Sierra Club of Maine, and Maine Association of Broadcasters awards for her work in 2017 and 2021. The post Around Town 9/22/22: Maine “Clean Water Champions” Honored at Clean Water Act 50th Anniversary event first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.
Listen in as Gus Speth speaks about insights from his book, _They Knew_. As early as the Carter Administration, in which Speth served, experts in and out of government argued for climate action, urgings well-covered in the media at the time. Six administrations followed, with next to nothing being done to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and much being done to sustain them. There are lessons to be learned for the future, especially one big lesson. Gus Speth: In 2009, he completed his decade-long tenure as Dean, Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. From 1993 to 1999, Gus Speth was Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme and chair of the U.N. Development Group. Prior to his service at the U.N., he was founder and president of the World Resources Institute; professor of law at Georgetown University; chairman of the U.S. Council on Environmental Quality (Carter Administration); and senior attorney and cofounder of the Natural Resources Defense Council. Among his awards are the National Wildlife Federation's Resources Defense Award, the Natural Resources Council of America's Barbara Swain Award of Honor, a 1997 Special Recognition Award from the Society for International Development, Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Environmental Law Institute and the League of Conservation Voters, the Blue Planet Prize, the Thomas Berry Great Work Award of the Environmental Consortium of Colleges and Universities, and the Thomas Berry Award of the Forum on Religion and Ecology. Speth spoke with UVM on January 28th, 2022. Read more about Gus: https://www.uvm.edu/gund/profiles/gus-speth Learn more about the Gund Institute: www.uvm.edu/gund Explore Gund events: www.uvm.edu/gund/events
Bob Gray has always had a deep interest in improving the soil, protecting the land, and “doing things that would make sure that you were not harming it.” He grew up on a dairy farm in upstate New York, which set the stage for working in agriculture for the rest of his life. This week, Bob talks with Ron about his legislative activities in Washington, D.C. starting in 1975, which cover a broad range of agriculture policy issues, federal farm programs, environmental regulations, conservation issues, energy development, and a host of matters affecting the agricultural sector. As a managing partner in the consulting firm of Gray & Oscar, LLC, he has also worked to expand technology transfer of information across the country and to provide communications with consumers on the importance agriculture plays in the U.S. economy. His background includes serving as a staff consultant to the U.S. House Agriculture Committee and as Chief of Staff to a Member of Congress. In addition, Bob was Director of Policy Development for a private nonprofit conservation organization. He has received a number of awards for his work, including the Gulf Oil Conservation Award, the National Association of Counties Distinguished Public Service Award, and the Natural Resources Council of America Legislative Achievement Award. The interview was conducted on Feb. 11, 2016. Links this episode: National Sustainable Agriculture Oral History Archive National Center for Appropriate Technology ATTRA National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Center for Rural Affairs -------- Liked this show? SUBSCRIBE to this podcast on Spotify, Audible, Apple, Google, and more. Catch past episodes, a transcript, and show notes at cfra.org/SustainbleAgPodcast.
Sarah Nichols serves as the Sustainable Maine Director at the Natural Resources Council of Maine and is a nationally recognized policy expert on the subject of waste management.Sarah leads local and state efforts to reduce waste, encourage reuse, while increasing recycling and composting in Maine. Some of her notable accomplishments include policies that banned the distribution of plastic shopping bags and foam food containers in Maine. More recently, she helped pass the nation's first Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for Packaging law. It is now Maine's policy to move to a “polluter-pays” model, like Canada and the European Union have already implemented. Closing the out-of-state waste loophole was another big win for Maine this past legislative session. LD 1639 stopped allowing private construction companies to dump their demolition waste, which included lead, arsenic, PFAS, mercury, and other toxic materials, into Maine's Juniper Ridge landfill. For more information on programs to safely dispose of toxics, visit www.ERCM.org.
Building homes are more complex than ever with all of the things you need to do to protect it and keep it a healthy place to live. After all it will be most likely your largest investment. We dive into building science with Emily Mattram and we discuss everything from new home construction to heat pumps in cold areas. Emily is the founder and principal of Mottram Architecture, a boutique practice specializing in new homes and renovations that are beautiful, functional, comfortable, healthy, and durable. Emily received her Bachelor of Architecture degree from Penn State University and is a Registered Architect in Maine, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania; she has also previously been registered in New York and Texas. Emily is a member of the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB), the Maine Indoor Air Quality Council (MIAQC), and the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM), the state's leading organization working to protect and preserve the environment. An educator at heart, Emily also teaches building science and sustainable design at a local community college and has served as a consultant for projects in a secondary school trade program. She hosts the weekly podcast https://www.mottramarch.com/the-podcast (E3: Energy and Efficiency with Emily) and co-hosts the live-streamed BS* + Beer Show, a weekly building science show for professionals and “civilians” alike. For more information check out Emily: https://www.mottramarch.com/ (https://www.mottramarch.com/) For more information on Around the House visit us on social media or our website: https://aroundthehouseonline.com/ (https://aroundthehouseonline.com/)
Join WonkCast host William Somes for a special interview with Sarah Nichols, the Sustainable Maine Director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine, an environmental advocacy organization.… Read more "GW WonkCast S6E4: A Case Study of Waste Management in Maine with Sarah Nichols"
This week on Under the Radar: America has a recycling problem. Ever since China banned the United States' recyclables back in 2018, recycling centers in American towns and cities have struggled to manage the massive amount of waste. Not to mention paying for the infrastructure and processing costs of recycling. But a new law in Maine relieves municipalities' financial burden by shifting the responsibility for the recycling costs. The law requires that producers of packaging waste, like Amazon and Maine businesses, pick up the tab for recycling costs. The move could encourage more use of reusable materials and reduce waste overall. Maine is the first state in the nation to pass this kind of law, and advocates say it will likely be a model for the rest of the county. Guests: Maine state Rep. Nicole Grohoski, who sponsored the bill Sarah Nichols, sustainable Maine director at Natural Resources Council of Maine
High Performance Architect Emily Mottram joins me in this episode to talk about the renovation she is undertaking at her home in Maine. She calls her renovation a pretty good renovation which is in keeping with the principles of the pretty good house (https://www.prettygoodhouse.org (https://www.prettygoodhouse.org)) which is building better than required by code until it doesn't make financial sense. Like all of us, she encountered scope creep and has some advice based on her experience. About our guest: Emily is the founder and principal of Mottram Architecture, a boutique practice specializing in new homes and renovations that are beautiful, functional, comfortable, healthy, and durable. Emily received her Bachelor of Architecture degree from Penn State University and is a Registered Architect in Maine, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania; she has also previously been registered in New York and Texas. Emily is a member of the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB), the Maine Indoor Air Quality Council (MIAQC), and the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM), the state's leading organization working to protect and preserve the environment. An educator at heart, Emily also teaches building science and sustainable design at a local community college and has served as a consultant for projects in a secondary school trade program. She hosts the weekly podcast https://www.mottramarch.com/the-podcast (E3: Energy and Efficiency with Emily) and co-hosts the live-streamed BS* + Beer Show, a weekly building science show for professionals and “civilians” alike. ********************************************************* Thanks so much for being with us this week. Please see the episode enhancement for this and other episodes athttps://www.talkinghomerenovations.com/ ( talkinghomerenovations.com) Do you have feedback you would like to share? Would you like to be a guest on the podcast? Email me at thehousemaven@talkinghomerenovations.com If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with your friends Don't forget to subscribe to the show and get automatic updates every Wednesday morning with the latest episode of Talking Home Renovations with the House Maven. Clickhttp://eepurl.com/gFJLlT ( here) to get the episode enhancements sent directly to your inbox every week. Reviews and ratings help my show gain traction and credibility. Please leave a review here-https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-home-renovations-with-the-house-maven/id1481716218 ( https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-home-renovations-with-the-house-maven/id1481716218) Visithttps://my.captivate.fm/www.Talkinghomerenovations.com ( Talkinghomerenovations.com) for episode enhancements, containing photos and more information about the episodes as well as transcripts. There you can leave a voice message through speak pipe that could be included in a future episode. Follow me on instagram: @talkinghomerenovations Join me on Facebook: Talking Home Renovations Follow me on Twitter (help make that a thing): @talkinghomereno Join me on TikTok: @The House Maven Talking Home Renovations with the House Maven is part of Gabl Media, the largest, most engaged AEC network on the planet. Visit http://www.gablmedia.com/ (www.Gablmedia.com) for great content. Sign up for the weekly newsletter- I send out the episode enhancements every Wednesday morning, http://eepurl.com/gFJLlT ( sign up here) Thanks to Ray Bernoff, the editor of the show.http://www.raybernoff.com/ ( www.RayBernoff.com) Music at the beginning and end of the episode is The House Maven's Jig, written and performed by Neil Pearlman, https://neilpearlman.com/ (www.neilpearlman.com) Show Cover Art by Sam Whitehttp://www.samowhite.com/ ( www.samowhite.com) This podcast is a production of dEmios Architects.http://www.demiosarchitects.com/ ( www.demiosarchitects.com) Do you need a bit of... Support this podcast
WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives
Producer/Host: Amy Browne 9 years ago we covered the removal of the Great Works Dam on the Penobscot River. It was one of the dams removed from the river as part of an effort that had taken years and much coalition building. On May 20th of this year, some of those involved in the Penobscot River Restoration project got together to talk about how the river ecosystem has changed over the years since the dams were removed. We’ll hear the panel, titled “Celebrate Progress for the Penobscot River” today, but first we take a quick trip back to June of 2012.. Panelists: John Banks, Director, Department of Natural Resources, Penobscot Indian Nation Laura Rose Day, Former Director, Penobscot River Restoration Trust Kate Dempsey, State Director, The Nature Conservancy in Maine Pete Didisheim, Advocacy Director, Natural Resources Council of Maine Andy Goode, Vice President, U.S. Programs, Atlantic Salmon Federation WERU thanks the Natural Resources Council of Maine for making the recording of the “Celebrate Progress for the Penobscot River” panel available for broadcast. It was edited by Amy Browne to fit this format and time slot. About the host: Amy Browne started out at WERU as a volunteer news & public affairs producer in 2000, co-hosting/co-producing RadioActive with Meredith DeFrancesco. She joined the team of Voices producers a few years later, and has been WERU’s News & Public Affairs Manager since January, 2006. In addition to RadioActive, Voices and Maine Currents, she also produced and hosted the WERU News Report for several years. She has produced segments for national programs including Free Speech Radio News, This Way Out, Making Contact, Workers Independent News, Pacifica PeaceWatch, and Live Wire News, and has contributed to Democracy Now and the WBAI News Report. She is the recipient of the 2014 Excellence in Environmental Journalism Award from the Sierra Club of Maine, and the First Place 2017 Radio News Award from the Maine Association of Broadcasters.
Maine Currents | WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives
Producer/Host: Amy Browne 9 years ago we covered the removal of the Great Works Dam on the Penobscot River. It was one of the dams removed from the river as part of an effort that had taken years and much coalition building. On May 20th of this year, some of those involved in the Penobscot River Restoration project got together to talk about how the river ecosystem has changed over the years since the dams were removed. We’ll hear the panel, titled “Celebrate Progress for the Penobscot River” today, but first we take a quick trip back to June of 2012.. Panelists: John Banks, Director, Department of Natural Resources, Penobscot Indian Nation Laura Rose Day, Former Director, Penobscot River Restoration Trust Kate Dempsey, State Director, The Nature Conservancy in Maine Pete Didisheim, Advocacy Director, Natural Resources Council of Maine Andy Goode, Vice President, U.S. Programs, Atlantic Salmon Federation WERU thanks the Natural Resources Council of Maine for making the recording of the “Celebrate Progress for the Penobscot River” panel available for broadcast. It was edited by Amy Browne to fit this format and time slot. About the host: Amy Browne started out at WERU as a volunteer news & public affairs producer in 2000, co-hosting/co-producing RadioActive with Meredith DeFrancesco. She joined the team of Voices producers a few years later, and has been WERU’s News & Public Affairs Manager since January, 2006. In addition to RadioActive, Voices and Maine Currents, she also produced and hosted the WERU News Report for several years. She has produced segments for national programs including Free Speech Radio News, This Way Out, Making Contact, Workers Independent News, Pacifica PeaceWatch, and Live Wire News, and has contributed to Democracy Now and the WBAI News Report. She is the recipient of the 2014 Excellence in Environmental Journalism Award from the Sierra Club of Maine, and the First Place 2017 Radio News Award from the Maine Association of Broadcasters. The post Maine Currents 6/1/21: “Celebrate Progress for the Penobscot River” – River Restoration Reflections first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.
On Earth Day the Natural Resources Council of Maine teamed up with the Telling Room for an afternoon webinar showcasing inspirational environmental poetry written by Maine youth moderated by Samaa Abdurraqib. Here are the young Maine poets reading their original poems plus a poem from Samaa and a poem and an Earth Day message from Governor Mills. In the second half of the show we hear from Peter Dugas, KC Hughs and Peter Munroe talking about the Citizens Climate Lobby.
On Earth Day the Natural Resources Council of Maine teamed up with the Telling Room for an afternoon webinar showcasing inspirational environmental poetry written by Maine youth moderated by Samaa Abdurraqib. Here are the young Maine poets reading their original poems plus a poem from Samaa and a poem and an Earth Day message from Governor Mills. In the second half of the show we hear from Peter Dugas, KC Hughs and Peter Munroe talking about the Citizens Climate Lobby.
Sue Ely, Climate and Clean Energy Policy Advocate and staff attorney for the Natural Resources Council of Maine explains why NRCM believes Central Maine Power’s 145 mile high voltage transmission line, a project planning to carve a 150 wide path through the Maine North woods in order to transfer Canadian hydro power to Massachusetts is a bad deal for Maine.
Sue Ely, Climate and Clean Energy Policy Advocate and staff attorney for the Natural Resources Council of Maine explains why NRCM believes Central Maine Power's 145 mile high voltage transmission line, a project planning to carve a 150 wide path through the Maine North woods in order to transfer Canadian hydro power to Massachusetts is a bad deal for Maine.
As our acclaimed interviewee and founder of the US Biochar Initiative, Gloria Flora puts it, "Biochar is basically charcoal, biomass that is not so much burned, but baked." So What Exactly is Biochar? In the Project Drawdown solution of Biochar Production, "Biomass slowly baked in the absence of oxygen becomes biochar, retaining most of the feedstock's carbon. It can be buried for sequestration and potentially enrich soil. Biomass slowly baked in the absence of oxygen becomes biochar, retaining most of the feedstock's carbon. It can be buried for sequestration and potentially enrich soil. The output is twofold: fuels that can be used for energy and biochar that can be used to enrich soil." A Zero-Waste Solution — Biochar is fine-grained charcoal made by pyrolysis, the process of heating biomass (wood, manure, crop residues, solid waste, etc.) with limited to no oxygen in a specially designed furnace capturing all emissions, gases, and oils for reuse as energy. Who is Gloria Flora? Gloria Flora is the Executive Director of Sustainable Obtainable Solutions, a non-profit organization dedicated to the sustainability of public lands and the plant, animal, and human communities that depend upon them. She is also the founder of the US Biochar Initiative, A not-for-profit organization promoting the sustainable production and use of biochar through research, policy, and technology. A popular and inspirational speaker, Gloria encourages people from all walks of life to recognize and celebrate our deep relationship with landscapes and the wealth of natural capital we enjoy from them; not just for us, but for future generations of all species. For her courageous stewardship of public lands and environmental leadership, she has received many awards, including the Wilderness Society's Murie Award, the Environmental Quality Award for exemplary decision-making from the Natural Resources Council of America, a ‘Behind the Headlines' award from the Project on Government Oversight, the 2003 Environmental Hero Award from Sunset Magazine and being selected as one of the nation's top environmentalists in 2004 by Vanity Fair Magazine . You can find out more about her and her organizations, by visiting www.s-o-solutions.org and biochar-us.org.
After Maine passed legislation last year clearing the way for community solar, Maine residents have been fielding offers to participate in community solar energy opportunities. We’ll learn about how community solar works, the benefits and drawbacks, and the role of solar power in Maine’s energy future. Dan Burgess , director, Governor's Energy Office Barry J. Hobbins , public advocate, State of Maine Fortunat Mueller , president & co-founder, ReVision Energy David Costello , climate & clean energy director, Natural Resources Council of Maine Maine Office of the Public Advocate: Community Solar Governor's Energy Office: Solar & Distributed Generation Maine Public Utilities Commission: Programs for Small Solar, Community and Other Renewable Energy Projects Natural Resources Council of Maine: Solar Power in Maine ReVision Energy: Community Solar Farms How Maine's Solar Power Boom Could Unintentionally Stunt Adoption Of Climate-Friendly Technologies What's the deal with all
After Maine passed legislation last year clearing the way for community solar, Maine residents have been fielding offers to participate in community solar energy opportunities. We’ll learn about how community solar works, the benefits and drawbacks, and the role of solar power in Maine’s energy future. Dan Burgess , director, Governor's Energy Office Barry J. Hobbins , public advocate, State of Maine Fortunat Mueller , president & co-founder, ReVision Energy David Costello , climate & clean energy director, Natural Resources Council of Maine Maine Office of the Public Advocate: Community Solar Governor's Energy Office: Solar & Distributed Generation Maine Public Utilities Commission: Programs for Small Solar, Community and Other Renewable Energy Projects Natural Resources Council of Maine: Solar Power in Maine ReVision Energy: Community Solar Farms How Maine's Solar Power Boom Could Unintentionally Stunt Adoption Of Climate-Friendly Technologies What's the deal with all
WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives
Producer/Host: Meredith DeFrancesco First Nations Impacted by Hydropower, Penobscot Nation and Herring Pond Wampanoag Speak Out Against CMP Corridor a) Less then three months before a referendum question would have been on the ballot aiming to reverse state agency approval of the so called New England Clean Energy Connect, or CMP Corridor, Central Maine Power’s parent company, Avangrid, succeeded in blocking it the courts. This election day, however, opponents are collecting signatures again on a re-worded citizen’s initiative aimed toward bringing it to voters the following election cycle. While those who promote and profit from hydro power tout it as a clean energy, the facts bear out differently in terms of environmental impacts, including greenhouse gas emissions and methyl mercury contamination, and on the health and rights of the Indigenous People whose communities are effected by dam construction and subsequent flooding. The proposed CMP corridor, a 145 mile transmission line slated to bring electricity from Hydro Quebec through Maine to Massachussetts, has received stiff opposition from local Maine communities and the Penobscot Nation. b) On Wednesday, October 28th, the Natural Resources Council of Maine, Sierra Club Maine and the Appalachian Mountain Club filed a lawsuit challenging the Army Corps of Engineers for an inadequate environmental assessment of the project and for refusing to require a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). A groundswell of the public in the state, as well as Congressman Jared Golden and the Penobscot Nation all requested an EIS be performed, but the Corp declined this past summer. A document obtained by the groups in the suit, under the Freedom of Information Act, reveal that the Army Corps and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) have identified major issues with the CMP corridor, including the company’s claims about the proposal’s impact on the climate. c) Members of First Nations in Canada have been campaigning heavily these past months through in person tours and other means to express their opposition to transmission corridor projects in the Northeast United States that would increase the impacts of hydro power development on their communities. Today we hear from an educational web event organized by Northeast Megadam Resistance Alliance and Sierra Club Maine and a press conference aiming to bring the voices of First Nations people to the Conference of Northeastern Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers last month. Guests: Meg Sheean from Northeast Megadam Reststamce Alliance Amy Norman, Nunatsiavummiuk Inuit, Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador Land Protector Penobscot Nation Chief Kirk Francis Herring Pond Wampanoag Chairwoman Melissa Ferretti Today’s program was co-produced by WERU FM/RadioActive and Sunlight Media Collective. Sunlight Media Collective, who documents and presents issues affecting Indigenous people from Wabanaki perspectives, highlighting the intersection between environmental justice and Tribal sovereignty.
For many of us, the power of nature serves as an inspiration for art, poetry, and action. To recognize the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day and April as National Poetry Month, the Natural Resources Council of Maine created this special series of five podcasts featuring poems by Maine-based poets. In this poetry reading and conversation you’ll hear from award-winning writer and poet Richard Blanco from Bethel, Maine, who was the fifth poet to read at a U.S. presidential inauguration (Barack Obama’s second inauguration). Richard Blanco was born in Madrid and immigrated to the United States as an infant with his Cuban-exile family. He has been a practicing engineer, writer, and poet since 1991. His collections of poetry include City of a Hundred Fires (1998), which won the Agnes Starrett Poetry Prize; Directions to the Beach of the Dead (2005), winner of the PEN/American Beyond Margins Award; Looking for the Gulf Motel (2012), winner of the Thom Gunn Award, the Maine Literary Award, and the Paterson Prize; One Today (2013); Boston Strong (2013); and How to Love a Country (2019). In 2013, Blanco was chosen to serve as the fifth inaugural poet of the United States. Blanco performed, “One Today,” an original poem he wrote for the occasion, becoming the youngest, first Latino, immigrant, and openly gay writer to hold the honor. He has received numerous honors for his writings and performances, including the Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellowship, a Florida Artist Fellowship, and a Bread Loaf Fellowship, as well as honorary doctorates from Macalester College, Colby College, and the University of Rhode Island. Blanco is currently Distinguished Visiting Professor at Florida International University.
For many of us, the power of nature serves as an inspiration for art, poetry, and action. To recognize the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day and April as National Poetry Month, the Natural Resources Council of Maine created this special series of five podcasts featuring poems by Maine-based poets. In this poetry reading and conversation you’ll hear the owner of Three Sisters Farm, Mary Anne Libby, reading a poem from her late husband, environmental visionary Russell Libby of Mount Vernon, Maine. Russell Libby liked to quote his distant relative, the late Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Robert P.T. Coffin, when he describes his personal philosophy: "We eat from the earth, the sky, the water." With degrees in resource economics, he launched a lifelong career in food and agricultural policy at the state, regional, and national levels while also working—with his wife Mary Anne and their three daughters—his own "Three Sisters Farm" in Mount Vernon, Maine. As executive director of MOFGA (Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association), Libby oversaw the organization as it became the country's largest state-level organic association.
For many of us, the power of nature serves as an inspiration for art, poetry, and action. To recognize the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day and April as National Poetry Month, the Natural Resources Council of Maine created this special series of five podcasts featuring poems by Maine-based poets. In this poetry reading and conversation you’ll hear from poet, bookstore owner, book editor, publisher, and Bates College associate professor of literature Gary Lawless of Nobleboro, Maine. Gary Lawless is a poet, book editor, publisher, and co-owner of Gulf of Maine Books in Brunswick. He is an associate professor of literature at Bates College in Lewiston and has been poet-in-residence for the town of Sitka, Alaska, and for the National Park Service at Isle Royale National Park at Lake Superior. After graduating from Colby College in 1973, Lawless left Maine to spend a year in California studying with poet Gary Snyder. When Lawless returned to Maine, he brought the idea of the budding bioregional movement with him. In 1987, he organized a Gulf of Maine Bioregional Congress, bringing together a diverse group of back-to-the-land and "green" folks from across northern New England and eastern Canada for a four-day series of workshops and presentations.
For many of us, the power of nature serves as an inspiration for art, poetry, and action. To recognize the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day and April as National Poetry Month, the Natural Resources Council of Maine created this special series of five podcasts featuring poems by Maine-based poets. In this poetry reading and conversation you’ll hear from award-winning poet, avid birder, and daily haiku writer Kirsten Lindquist of Camden, Maine. Kirsten Lindquist’s publications include the chapbook Invocation to the Birds (Oyster River Press, 2001); Transportation (Megunticook Press, 2011), which was a finalist for a Maine Literary Award; and Tourists in the Known World: New & Selected Poems (Megunticook Press, 2017). Her work has received various awards, including the Bread Loaf Poetry Prize, the Red Fox Poetry Prize, the Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance's Penobscot Watershed Poetry Prize, and the Maine Postmark Poetry Contest. Garrison Keillor read three of her poems on National Public Radio’s The Writer’s Almanac. Since 2009, Lindquist has maintained a daily haiku blog, Book of Days and she currently serves on the Town of Camden's Budget Committee, as chair of the Maine Community Foundation's Knox County Fund, and as treasurer of West Bay Rotary.
For many of us, the power of nature serves as an inspiration for art, poetry, and action. To recognize the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day and April as National Poetry Month, the Natural Resources Council of Maine created this special series of five podcasts featuring poems by Maine-based poets. In this poetry reading and conversation you’ll hear from author and former Belfast, Maine, Poet Laureate Karin Spitfire of Belfast, Maine. Karin Spitfire is the author of a full-length book of poetry, "Standing with Trees," and a chapbook, "Wild Caught." Her poem, "What is to Be Offered," published in The Kerf, was nominated for the Pushcart Award. Spitfire is the author of "Incest: It’s All Relative," a performance/dance poem that toured nationally from 1982–86. She is a past Poet Laureate of Belfast, Maine.
Adam Lee has been with Lee Auto Mall for 32 years, serving as President and assuming the position of Chairman of the Board in June 2010 upon the passing of his father, Shep Lee. He currently serves on the Muskie Board of Visitors, the MPBN Board, and the Maine Conservation Voters Board. Lee served as the Chairman of the Efficiency Maine Trust and Chair of the Maine Audubon Corporate Partners. He is the past chairman of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and a past member of the Natural Resources Council of Maine, Maine Historical Society, Maine Energy Council, Governor's Advisory Council, Center for Cultural Exchange and the OSHER Map Library. Over the last 20 years, Lee has worked hard in conjunction with various environmental groups to raise fuel economy standards across the nation. He's proud of the successful accomplishment that will raise the national standards to 54.5 MPG's by 2025. Lee is a graduate of Vassar College and the recipient of environmental awards from the Natural Resources Council of Maine and the Maine League of Conservation Voters. Adam Lee lives in Cumberland with his wife and 22year old twins, 2 horses, 2 cats, 2dogs, and anywhere from 6 to 8 chickens depending upon the fox.
Maine Currents | WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives
Producer/Host: Amy Browne Studio Engineer: John Greenman Production assistance: Meredith DeFrancesco, WERU-FM & Sunlight Media Collective Audio provided by: North American Megadam Resistance NOTE: The first audio file (below) is this program, and the second is a full, unedited recording of the Megadam Resistance tour speakers in Augusta in November 2019, used with their permission. If you come from a politically mixed family here in Maine, chances are there was one topic you were able to discuss over the holidays without anyone getting disowned. The New England Clean Energy Connect – or the CMP Corridor as it is widely known- is drawing opposition from all over the political spectrum. Building the corridor would involve cutting 53 miles through undeveloped forest in Western Maine. According to the Natural Resources Council of Maine, the damage would fragment the largest contiguous temperate forest in North America and perhaps the world. The corridor would traverse Maine to bring pricier energy, that supporters call “green”, from HydroQuebec dams in Canada to Massachusetts. Maine Governor Janet Mills supports the project, after, she says, she negotiated with HydroQuebec and “insisted that the project include electric vehicle charging stations, provisions to support renewable energy, broadband access, and heat pumps, as well as cash relief for ratepayers over and above the benefits of lower electricity prices”. Many towns that initially were in support have changed their minds, as has the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine after realizing that a majority of their members were in opposition. The guests on this program represent some of the different parts of the political spectrum that oppose the project. Dawn Neptune Adams is a member of the Penobscot Nation, a narrator and citizen-journalist with Sunlight Media Collective, Wabanaki liaison to the Maine Independent Green Party, and a Racial Justice Consultant to the Peace and Justice Center of Eastern Maine. She met with the Cree and Innu People from the North American Megadam Resistance speaking tour in November to learn more about the situations in their territories. We hear some clips from their presentation during this program as well. And joining us by phone, from arguably what is usually the other end of the political spectrum, is Tom Saviello, former Republican State Senator Franklin County and former State Representative for 6 towns in Franklin County including his home town of Wilton. He is the former Chair of the joint Standing Committee on the Environment and Natural Resources. He has a BS degree in Forestry from the University of Tennessee, and an MS in Agronomy & a PHD in Forest Resources from UMO. He has worked for 33 years in the forest industry starting as a research forester and retiring as the environmental manager at the Androscoggin Mill. FMI: Say No to NECEC Northeast Megadam Resistance Natural Resources Council of Maine CMP Transmission Line Proposal: A Bad Deal for Maine Sierra Club of Maine CMP Transmission Line RadioActive 11/14/19 Indigenous Resistance to Megadam Power in Canada New England Clean Energy Connect Governor Janet Mills’ statement on NECEC Catch the award-winning Maine Currents, independent local news, views and culture, on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of each month, 4-5pm on WERU-FM, streaming live at www.weru.org and on the WERU app About the host: Amy Browne started out at WERU as a volunteer news & public affairs producer in 2000, co-hosting/co-producing RadioActive with Meredith DeFrancesco. She joined the team of Voices producers a few years later, and has been WERU’s News & Public Affairs Manager since January, 2006. In addition to RadioActive, Voices and Maine Currents, she also produced and hosted the WERU News Report for several years. She has produced segments for national programs including Free Speech Radio News, This Way Out, Making Contact, Workers Independent News, Pacifica PeaceWatch, and Live Wire News, and has contributed to Democracy Now and the WBAI News Report. She is the recipient of the 2014 Excellence in Environmental Journalism Award from the Sierra Club of Maine, and the First Place 2017 Radio News Award from the Maine Association of Broadcasters. The post Maine Currents 1/7/20: CMP Corridor Draws Opposition from Across the Political Spectrum first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.
WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives
Producer/Host: Amy Browne Studio Engineer: John Greenman Production assistance: Meredith DeFrancesco, WERU-FM & Sunlight Media Collective Audio provided by: North American Megadam Resistance NOTE: The first audio file (below) is this program, and the second is a full, unedited recording of the Megadam Resistance tour speakers in Augusta in November 2019, used with their permission. If you come from a politically mixed family here in Maine, chances are there was one topic you were able to discuss over the holidays without anyone getting disowned. The New England Clean Energy Connect – or the CMP Corridor as it is widely known- is drawing opposition from all over the political spectrum. Building the corridor would involve cutting 53 miles through undeveloped forest in Western Maine. According to the Natural Resources Council of Maine, the damage would fragment the largest contiguous temperate forest in North America and perhaps the world. The corridor would traverse Maine to bring pricier energy, that supporters call “green”, from HydroQuebec dams in Canada to Massachusetts. Maine Governor Janet Mills supports the project, after, she says, she negotiated with HydroQuebec and “insisted that the project include electric vehicle charging stations, provisions to support renewable energy, broadband access, and heat pumps, as well as cash relief for ratepayers over and above the benefits of lower electricity prices”. Many towns that initially were in support have changed their minds, as has the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine after realizing that a majority of their members were in opposition. The guests on this program represent some of the different parts of the political spectrum that oppose the project. Dawn Neptune Adams is a member of the Penobscot Nation, a narrator and citizen-journalist with Sunlight Media Collective, Wabanaki liaison to the Maine Independent Green Party, and a Racial Justice Consultant to the Peace and Justice Center of Eastern Maine. She met with the Cree and Innu People from the North American Megadam Resistance speaking tour in November to learn more about the situations in their territories. We hear some clips from their presentation during this program as well. And joining us by phone, from arguably what is usually the other end of the political spectrum, is Tom Saviello, former Republican State Senator Franklin County and former State Representative for 6 towns in Franklin County including his home town of Wilton. He is the former Chair of the joint Standing Committee on the Environment and Natural Resources. He has a BS degree in Forestry from the University of Tennessee, and an MS in Agronomy & a PHD in Forest Resources from UMO. He has worked for 33 years in the forest industry starting as a research forester and retiring as the environmental manager at the Androscoggin Mill. FMI: Say No to NECEC Northeast Megadam Resistance Natural Resources Council of Maine CMP Transmission Line Proposal: A Bad Deal for Maine Sierra Club of Maine CMP Transmission Line RadioActive 11/14/19 Indigenous Resistance to Megadam Power in Canada New England Clean Energy Connect Governor Janet Mills’ statement on NECEC Catch the award-winning Maine Currents, independent local news, views and culture, on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of each month, 4-5pm on WERU-FM, streaming live at www.weru.org and on the WERU app About the host: Amy Browne started out at WERU as a volunteer news & public affairs producer in 2000, co-hosting/co-producing RadioActive with Meredith DeFrancesco. She joined the team of Voices producers a few years later, and has been WERU’s News & Public Affairs Manager since January, 2006. In addition to RadioActive, Voices and Maine Currents, she also produced and hosted the WERU News Report for several years. She has produced segments for national programs including Free Speech Radio News, This Way Out, Making Contact, Workers Independent News, Pacifica PeaceWatch, and Live Wire News, and has contributed to Democracy Now and the WBAI News Report. She is the recipient of the 2014 Excellence in Environmental Journalism Award from the Sierra Club of Maine, and the First Place 2017 Radio News Award from the Maine Association of Broadcasters.
WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives
Producer/Host: Steve Kahl Studio Engineer: Amy Browne Key Discussion Points a) solar power net metering b) electric vehicle rebates c) Maine Renewable Portfolio Standard Guests: Sophie Janeway, Natural Resources Council of Maine Nicole Grohoski, Maine House representative
WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives
Penobscot Nation and Other Affected Communities Speak Out at Public Hearing on Solid Waste Reform Bill Producer/Host: Meredith DeFrancesco Today we follow up on reforms afoot for solid waste policy in Maine, as affected communities, including the Penobscot Nation, policy makers and the Department of Environmental Protection look to address long standing problems. Yesterday, the Maine Legislature’s Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources heard public testimony on three waste bills, including LD 401, “An Act to Preserve State Landfill Capacity and Promote Recycling”, (legislature.maine.gov/legis/bills/getPDF.asp?paper=HP0310&item=1&snum=129) LD 401 would request the accurate tracking and record keeping of waste from its generation to final disposal point, including as landfill leachate discharged into Maine waterways, including Juniper Ridge Landfill leachate deposited into the Penobscot River. It would walk back a 2011 state statute that allows out of state waste to be re-classified as in-state waste. It would also walk back the ability for the state to meet recycling goals by counting construction and demolition debris used as landfill covering and waste biosolids used as agricultural fertilizer. It would strengthen protections for the health of those living in close proximity to waste disposal facilities. Today we hear some of the testimony from those present, including representatives of the Penobscot Nation. And we speak with Hillary Lister, longtime waste organizer and co-author of LD 401, on how things are developing, as the Department seeks to incorporate elements of LD 401 into a bill that also go before the ENR Committee soon. Guests: Rep. Ryan Tipping, sponsor of LD 401, District 123, Orono John Banks, Director of the Department of Natural Resources, Penobscot Nation Mauilian Dana, Penobscot Nation Ambassador Sarah Lakeman, Sustainable Maine Project Director, Natural Resources Council of Maine Hillary Lister, solid waste activist Dawn Neptune Adams, environmental activist, member of Penobscot Nation Heather Linnet Whittier Rep. Lori Gramlich, District 13 Today’s program was produced with the Sunlight Media Collective, including Dawn Neptune Adams, Andrea DeFrancesco and Josh Woodbury. Audio recording by Josh Woodbury. www.sunlightmediacollective.org
WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives
CMP Transmission Line’s Claims to Impact Climate and New Report on Trump Climate Rollbacks Producer/Host: Meredith DeFrancesco Today we look at a new report by the NYU School of Law’s State Energy and Environmental Impact Center that outlines the potential cumulative impacts of the Trump Administration’s proposed climate policy rollbacks. www.law.nyu.edu/sites/default/files/climate-and-health-showdown-in-the-courts.pdf And we look at Central Maine Power’s proposed transmission line through Maine, its potential impacts and claims that it will beneficially address climate change. We look at the impacts the CMP line would have on 263 wetlands, 115 streams and 12 inland waterfowl and wading bird habitat area, brook trout and other wildlife habitat, through cutting and herbicide application. We also examine the greenwash claims that the project would positively impact climate change and how Hydro Quebec’s power would block Maine generated renewable power from grid access, including solar. Guests: Neela Baerjee, Inside Climate News, Washington DC reporter insideclimatenews.org/news/06032019/trump-climate-regulations-rollback-cost-health-emissions-clean-power-plan-cars-oil-gas-methane Nick Bennett, Natural Resources Council of Maine, staff scientist CMP Transmission Line Proposal: A Bad Deal for Maine
WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives
Producer/Host: Meredith DeFrancesco Land Use Planning Commission Poised to Open 1.3 million Acres of Maine Woods to Development The Maine Land Use Planning Commission (LUPC) is poised to make the biggest proposed policy change in Commission history. Their plan to change adjacency criteria, eliminating the so-called “one mile rule”, would open up over 1.3 million acres of the Maine woods to residential subdivisions. 800,000 of those acres would also be opened to commercial development. This would open an unspecified number of class 3 lakes to development. Opponents say, the policy change would also reverse a 2001 legislative ban on large residential subdivisions of 25 acres (so called, kingdom lots), and would allow subdivisions of up to 14 lots and 30 acres to meet only limited environmental review on approximately 400,000 acres. The LUPC is accepting written comments on their proposed development changes until January 22. Email comments to Benjamin.Godsoe@maine.gov Guest: Cathy Johnson, Senior Staff Attorney, Forest and Wildlife Director, Natural Resources Council of Maine www.nrcm.org/projects/forests-wildlife/maine-north-woods-protection-lupc/lupc-adjacency-principle-maines-north-woods/ www.nrcm.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/2018-one-mile-rule-general-factsheet-post-hearing.pdf www.nrcm.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/NRCMadjacencytestimony62018.pdf www.nrcm.org/projects/forests-wildlife/maine-north-woods-protection-lupc/ Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry’s Maine Land Use Planning Commission Proposed Rules Revisions: Revised Applications of Adjacency Principle and Subdivision Standards : www.maine.gov/dacf/lupc/projects/adjacency/rulemaking/Adj_Sub_PublicCommentDraft_Dec2018.pdf Today’s program was produced with the Sunlight Media Collective.
2019 is a big year for the Natural Resources Council of Maine. This is our 60th anniversary! In this episode, NRCM CEO Lisa Pohlmann looks back on NRCM's key achievements from 60 years of advocacy, reflects on Augusta's current political climate, and shares her long-term goals for NRCM. Enjoy!
Hear from Natural Resources Council of Maine staff members who have participated in our annual Polar Bear Dip & Dash over the past 10 years to find out why they do it, why they think YOU should do it, and hear their advice and memorable moments from past dips. You don't want to miss this event on New Year's Eve Day in Portland, Maine.
After 28 years of outstanding service, NRCM’s media guru Judy Berk retires this week. She sat down with our podcast host Carly Peruccio to talk about her work and to share some memorable experiences during her time at the Natural Resources Council of Maine. Thank you, Judy, for all of you have done to protect the nature of Maine.
Maine Currents | WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives
Producer/Host: Amy Browne The Public Speaks at “Maine Speaks on Climate and Cars: The Citizens' Hearing”, an NRCM event held in Bangor on August 28th, 2018 In August, the EPA announced plans to weaken fuel efficiency standards by freezing them at current levels– rather than following rules passed during the Obama administration that would make them tougher over time. The plan would also prevent states from setting their own stronger standards (as many already have, including Maine). The stated rationale is that small cars are not as safe as bigger vehicles, and that stronger standards make vehicles more expensive. Critics of the proposal argue that pollution and climate change demand stronger, not weaker, laws. A 60 day period for public comment on the proposal is currently underway. Last week the Natural Resources Council of Maine held an event in Bangor called “Maine Speaks on Climate and Cars: The Citizens' Hearing”, and recorded public comments to be shared with the EPA. Today on Maine Currents we bring you there. This meeting was held on an evening when poor air quality warnings had been issued for the following day here in Maine, a fact you'll hear mentioned by some of the speakers. FMI: More info from the NRCM: Critics in Maine Decry Trump Administration Plan to Ease Rules for Auto Emissions and Efficiency- NRCM More info from the EPA, including instructions for submitting comments: The Safer Affordable Fuel Efficient (SAFE) Vehicles Proposed Rule for Model Years 2021-2026 -EPA The post Maine Currents 9/6/18 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.
Hear from Natural Resources Council of Maine Advocacy Director Pete Didisheim as he discusses the results of this year's Maine legislative session. Hear about bills related to solar energy, food waste, clean air, sustainability, and more.
Nate Gray of the Maine Department of Marine Resources describes the largest alewife run in the United States, happening right now at Benton Falls in Central Maine. NRCM Senior Director of Advocacy Pete Didisheim shares the story of the removal of the Edwards Dam on the Kennebec River and how this work of the Natural Resources Council of Maine and others in the Kennebec Coalition helped begin restoration of this important fishery.
3: Shining the Light on Maine Solar Legislation by Natural Resources Council of Maine
Find out the latest in Maine environmental news from the Natural Resources Council of Maine.
1: Stopping Drilling Off Maine's Coast by Natural Resources Council of Maine
The 10th Annual Polar Bear Dip and Dash Join me and we'll brave the arctic temps and howling winds of Portland's Back Cove on this 3.1 mile New Year's Eve Day run to benefit the Naural Resources Council of Maine. You'll experience a frosty 5k from the comfort of wherever you are right now! Very warm Thank-yous go out to Gabby, North, Felicity, Elise, Dan (aka Chewbacca) and Beth (the maker of all things chew-yeti), for being gracious podcast guests. Thanks for helping me figure out how to conduct interviews in the single-digit cold and after running a 5k. I met my fundraising goal through the generosity of Team F-40 Contributors: Mark, Melanie, Vicky, and my parents Don and Joanne. Thank-you for your constant support, no matter how "out there" my ideas may initially seem! Connect with: Natural Resources Council of Maine Polar Bear Dip and Dash Overall Results Team F40 Facebook Photo Album A huge Thank-You goes to Cheryl B. Engelhardt for the use of her music. The Track is called “Fresh Start” and was written and performed by her. Go get the song and hear more at www.cbemusic.com. Come along for the ride, you might have a little fun, get inspired and learn something, too! Subscribe To FIT 40 Radio today!
Tony Owens, MD, is a doctor in the Emergency Department at Maine Medical Center, as well as an advocate for the environment. In front of a United States Senate committee in Washington, D.C., he testified in support of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan, arguing that carbon dioxide emissions from Midwestern power plants contribute to Maine’s high rates of pediatric asthma. Speaking out about climate change, he has suggested that higher temperatures have expanded the range of tick-borne diseases and caused higher incidences of Lyme disease. In 2007, Owens joined the board of the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM) after his fourth child graduated from college. He was instrumental in the development of NRCM Rising, a subgroup of NRCM that seeks to expand advocacy among people under 40. As a practicing emergency physician for nearly 40 years and an associate professor at Tufts University School of Medicine, he also teaches residents and medical students in the Emergency Department at Maine Medical Center. https://www.themainemag.com/radio/radio-guests/tony-owens-m-d-natural-resources-council-maine/
Maine Currents | WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives
Producer/Host: Amy Browne Segment 1: The public comment period has closed and now those who care about Maine's new National Monument are waiting to hear its' fate. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke visited Katahdin Woods and Waters recently as part of a federal review. While his comments after touring the area seemed to indicate that he was favorably impressed, they are open to interpretation at this point. Governor LePage has been a vocal opponent of the monument, downplaying the beauty and historical significance of the area, and any potential economic benefits for the region. On Friday the Natural Resources Council of Maine held a press conference in Bangor to release the results of their analysis of the public comments that had been submitted so far, and to highlight the thoughts of some residents of the Katahdin Woods and Waters region. In our first segement today we're going to listen in. FMI: Natural Resources Council of Maine Segment 2: Coming up on Wednesday, July 26th, WERU, in conjunction with Bucksport's Wednesdays on Main will hold our third annual storytelling event at the Alamo Theatre. We hope to see you all there, and to give you a sample of what you can expect, today we're bringing you an encore presentation of 3 of the storytellers from last year's show who will be returning this year. FMI about the 7/26th event: My Maine: The State as Experienced by Local Storytellers Maine Currents- independent local news, views and culture, every Tuesday at 4pm on WERU-FM and weru.org The post Maine Currents 7/11/17 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.
Maine Currents | WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives
Producer/Host: Amy Browne Engineer: John Greenman Contributor: Matt Murphy Segment 1: Katahdin Woods & Waters National Monument Our guests in the studio are recent visitors to Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument: Christina Perkins, an Orland resident who has hiked in KWW with friends and her dog Rye- and plans to return several times this summer; Don Duncan, a photographer from Southern/Midcoast Maine who is just returning from a trip to KWW and has visited and photographed the area in the past; and Roger Merchant, also a photographer, has been exploring, fishing, canoeing, hiking and taking photos in the area since the 60s when he was working as a forester. They talk about their experiences in KWW. Joining us by phone: Lucas St Clair, a member of the family that donated the land for the National Monument and an endowment to support it, gives an overview of the KWW National Monument and the current status of the designation, and Cathy Johnson, Senior Staff Attorney & Forests and Wildlife Project Director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine talks about the call to action they have issued to their members to protect the national monument’s designation. We also hear from Katie, a local resident who is part of a group that will be traveling to KWW in a few days. FMI: Friends of Katahdin Woods and Waters Federal Review of National Monuments, Public Comment Opportunity Natural Resources Council of Maine Segment 2: Nonviolent Communication Matt Murphy talks with local non-violent communication trainer Peggy Smith, and gets some tips for communicating with people with whom you seriously disagree FMI: www.opencommunication.org/about.html Maine Currents- independent local news, views and culture, every Tuesday at 4pm on WERU-FM and weru.org The post Maine Currents 6/27/17 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.
Maine Currents | WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives
Producer/Host: Amy Browne Studio Engineer/Segment Producer: John Greenman President Trump’s actions in his first days in office have been met with protests around the world and right here in Maine- and they show no signs of letting up. Today on “Maine Currents” we’re going to look at the community response to Trump’s executive orders and cabinet nominees. We have a clip from the protest at Bangor International Airport over the weekend, we talk to some of the organizers of local events and then open the phone lines. Guests: Lisa Pohlmann, Executive Director, Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM), nrcm.org Susan Dickson-Smith, Founder/Organizer, Eastern Maine for Racial Justice (EMeRJ), facebook.com/emerjmaine , emerjblog.wordpress.com/ Sam Salvadore Portera, Bangor Area Organizer, Maine People’s Alliance, mainepeoplesalliance.org Karen Marysdaughter, Co-Coordinator, Peace & Justice Center of Eastern Maine, peacectr.org Matt Murphy, WERU General Manager, weru.org The post Maine Currents 2/1/17 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.
Maine Currents | WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives
Producer/Editor/Host: Amy Browne Engineer: Joel Mann Topic: Governor LePage’s recent behavior and efforts to address it. Last night he stormed out of an event at UMaine Farmington, calling 2 protesters “idiots”. The previous day he held a meeting that legally should have been public, but access was denied to legislators, media and the public. He has declared the Natural Resources Council of Maine and the Maine People’s Alliance– 2 of the state’s largest environmental and social justice groups– “enemies”. Efforts to impeach him were defeated earlier this year, but his controversial behavior keeps those efforts alive. Meanwhile his supporters praise his “plain talking” style. On today’s call in show we’re asking “What do YOU think?” Guests: Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives Mark Eves FMI: www.speakereves.com/ Rebecca Halbrook, retired attorney working on impeachment efforts and a new group called “Mainers for Government Accountability”. FMI: www.facebook.com/ImpeachGovLePage/?fref=ts Mike Tipping, Communications Director for the Maine People’s Alliance, cohost of “The Beacon” podcast which airs on WERU Tuesday afternoons at 4 and author of As Maine Went: Paul LePage and the Tea Party Takeover FMI: www.mainepeoplesalliance.org/ The post Maine Currents 4/27/16 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.
Talk of the Towns | WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives
Host: Ron Beard, University of Maine Cooperative Extension Studio Engineer: Amy Browne Issue: Community concerns and opportunities Program Topic: The future of the Millinocket Baxter region, including a possible National Park Key Discussion Points: What changes have you seen in the Millinocket-Baxter region in your lifetime… are there trends in the economy and in forest practices, land ownership of the Millinocket-Baxter Region? Given the trends, what role could recreation and tourism play in the near and longer term future economy (leaving aside, for now who owns and manages the land). What private resources are currently contributing to the recreation/tourism economy? What gave rise to groups like Friends of Acadia and other “friends groups” of national and state parks? Your career has been in conservation—what trends do you see in what land is conserved, how it is conserved? What is the interplay between conserved land and land that is managed for forestry, agriculture or other specific economic ends? What are the main arguments for (Olson and Johnson) and against (Pray and Robbins) a national park in the region? Quoting from an article in Portland Press Herald– In response to interest in having President Obama initiate National Monument designation for land donated by Elliotsville Plantation “…three members of Maine's congressional delegation outlined nine “conditions” that the Obama administration should consider if it went forward with a designation. Those conditions include ensuring that traditional recreational activities – including hunting, fishing, camping and use of snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles – as well as forest management continue on the land. They also stated that any monument designation “must respect private property rights and ensure the federal government will never take any private land in the area by eminent domain.” Are these conditions at the core of continued discussion? Guests: Charles Pray, former state Senator, Millinocket, 1974-1992 Jim Robbins, former President, Robbins Lumber, Searsmont Ken Olson, conservation consultant, former President, Friends of Acadia Cathy Johnson, North Woods Project Director, Natural Resources Council of Maine The post Talk of the Towns 2/12/16 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.
Maine Currents | WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives
Producer/Host: Amy Browne Engineer: John Greenman Today we're doing a sort of “where are they now” show with some of the 13 Mainers –from all across the state and different walks of life– who volunteered back in 2006 to have themselves tested for the presence of 71 chemicals in their bodies. As we reported in 2007 when the results were published in the “Body of Evidence” report, toxic industrial chemicals were found in every person tested. The group behind the project was the Alliance for a Clean and Healthy Maine, which included the Environmental Health Strategy Center, the Learning Disabilities Association of Maine, the Maine Labor Group on Health, the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, the Maine People's Resource Center, the Maine Public Health Association, the Natural Resources Council of Maine, and Physicians for Social Responsibility/Maine Chapter. All project protocols were approved by the University of Southern Maine Office of Research Compliance and Institutional Review Board. Doctors Vincent Markowski and Richard Donahue, the project's Principal Investigators, provided oversight of the study methodology, data collection, laboratory testing, and data analyses. 46 different toxic chemicals were found in the bodies of the 13 Mainers. The average body burden was 36 toxic chemicals detected in the blood, urine and hair of each participant. Guests: Emma Halas-O’Connor, Environmental Health Campaign Manager, Environmental Health Strategy Center/ Prevent Harm Hannah Pingree, former State Representative and study participant. After learning that PBDE flame retardants were being found in breast milk, she sponsored a bill that successfully phased out two of them back in 2004. In 2008 she was a sponsor of Maine's “Kid-Safe Products Act”. In 2012 she testified at a hearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, advocating for updating and strengthening the federal 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act. In 2013 she was featured in the HBO documentary “Toxic Hot Seat”. Steve Taylor, Project Manager for the Body of Evidence Report Regina Creeley, study participant FMI: www.cleanandhealthyme.org/bodyofevidencereport/tabid/55/default.aspx The post Maine Currents 10/14/15 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.
Sustain What? Preparing our Students by Greening our Campuses
James Gustave Speth joined the faculty of the Vermont Law School as Professor of Law in 2010. He serves also as Distinguished Senior Fellow at Demos and Associate Fellow at the Tellus Institute. In 2009 he completed his decade-long tenure as Dean, Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. From 1993 to 1999, Gus Speth was Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme and chair of the UN Development Group. Prior to his service at the UN, he was founder and president of the World Resources Institute; professor of law at Georgetown University; chairman of the U.S. Council on Environmental Quality (Carter Administration); and senior attorney and cofounder, Natural Resources Defense Council. Throughout his career, Speth has provided leadership and entrepreneurial initiatives to many task forces and committees whose roles have been to combat environmental degradation and promote sustainable development, including the President’s Task Force on Global Resources and Environment; the Western Hemisphere Dialogue on Environment and Development; and the National Commission on the Environment. Among his awards are the National Wildlife Federation’s Resources Defense Award, the Natural Resources Council of America’s Barbara Swain Award of Honor, a 1997 Special Recognition Award from the Society for International Development, Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Environmental Law Institute and the League of Conservation Voters, and the Blue Planet Prize. He holds honorary degrees from Clark University, the College of the Atlantic, the Vermont Law School, Middlebury College, the University of South Carolina, Green Mountain College, the University of Massachusetts, and Unity College. He is the author, co-author or editor of seven books including the award-winning The Bridge at the Edge of the World: Capitalism, the Environment, and Crossing from Crisis to Sustainability and Red Sky at Morning: America and the Crisis of the Global Environment. His latest book is America the Possible: Manifesto for a New Economy, published by Yale Press in September 2012. Speth currently serves on the boards of the New Economy Coalition, Center for a New American Dream, Climate Reality Project, and the Institute for Sustainable Communities. He is an honorary director of the World Resources Institute and the Natural Resources Defense Council and is an advisory board member or associate for the Democracy Collaborative, United Republic, 350.org, EcoAmerica, Labor Network for Sustainability, New Economy Working Group, SC Coastal Conservation League, Environmental Law Institute, Vermont Natural Resources Council, Southern Environmental Law Center, Heinz Center, Free Speech for People, and Vermont Institute for Natural Science. He graduated summa cum laude from Yale University in 1964 with a BA in Political Science, and subsequently earned an M.Litt. in Economics from Oxford University in 1966 as a Rhodes Scholar and his JD from the Yale Law School in 1969. After law school, he served as law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Hugo L. Black.
James Gustave Speth joined the faculty of the Vermont Law School as Professor of Law in 2010. He also serves as Distinguished Senior Fellow at both Demos and the United Nations Foundation. In 2009 he completed his decade-long tenure as Dean, Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. From 1993 to 1999, Gus Speth was Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme and chair of the UN Development Group. Prior to his service at the UN, he was founder and president of the World Resources Institute; professor of law at Georgetown University; chairman of the U.S. Council on Environmental Quality (Carter Administration); and senior attorney and cofounder, Natural Resources Defense Council. Throughout his career, Speth has provided leadership and entrepreneurial initiatives to many task forces and committees whose roles have been to combat environmental degradation and promote sustainable development, including the President's Task Force on Global Resources and Environment; the Western Hemisphere Dialogue on Environment and Development; and the National Commission on the Environment. Among his awards are the National Wildlife Federation's Resources Defense Award, the Natural Resources Council of America's Barbara Swain Award of Honor, a 1997 Special Recognition Award from the Society for International Development, Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Environmental Law Institute and the League of Conservation Voters, and the Blue Planet Prize. He holds honorary degrees from Clark University, the College of the Atlantic, the Vermont Law School, Middlebury College, the University of South Carolina, and Green Mountain College. He is the author, co-author or editor of seven books including the award-winning The Bridge at the Edge of the World: Capitalism, the Environment, and Crossing from Crisis to Sustainability and Red Sky at Morning: America and the Crisis of the Global Environment. His latest book is America the Possible: Manifesto for a New Economy, published by Yale Press in September 2012.
Los Angeles County Flood Control Dist. v. Natural Resources Council, Inc. | 12/04/12 | Docket #: 11-460
Talk of the Towns | WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives
Producer/Host: Ron Beard, University of Maine Cooperative Extension and Sea Grant Topic: Maine and Climate Change: What Choices Do We Have Now? What is the Marine Extension team? How is the Natural Resources Council of Maine working to address climate change issues? What niche is emerging for Chewonki Foundation in terms of pilot technologies that may reduce greenhouse gas emissions? Guests: Esperanza Stancioff, University of Maine Cooperative Extension and Sea Grant; Dylan Voorhees, Natural Resources Council of Maine; Peter Arnold, Chewonki Foundation Call in show The post Talk of the Towns 5/09/08 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.